One of the surprising things about Pastor Adeboye is that he is very romantic

(rccg)

Mrs Adeboye, also known as Mother-in-Israel, met her husband in 1965. According to him, “the only challenge I would say we had during our courtship was probably the strictness of her dad who was a minister in the Methodist Church.

"I could only visit her daughter when someone was present. If we went for a stroll, it had to be for a very limited time. Looking back now, I am very grateful to God for this because the old man was following the examples laid down by the scriptures.” They eventually tied the knot on September 8, 1967.

Their love story is different because he proposed to her 45 minutes after they met. According to her, “he told me a lot of things about myself, both things that I knew, and those that I never knew. I was shocked. He told me about my family, about my past, my present and my future. Altogether, we spent about 45 minutes.

"At the end of the whole thing, he spoke to me in Yoruba and said: Joo ma binu o. Ma ro pe bi mo se nba gbogbo eniyan ti o ba wa s’odo mi soro ni eleyi o. Mi o ni ale, mi o dee fee ni ale. Sugbon, se oo fe mi? (Transliterated, this means: Please, don’t be annoyed. Don’t think this is how I talk to everyone that comes to me. I don’t have a concubine, and I don’t want to have a concubine. But can you marry me?)

"Some months later, I asked him why he thought it was right seeing a lady for the first time and going on to propose to her. He said he had seen me four days before that very day.”

Her husband is Pastor Paul Adefarasin of the House on the Rock. Years before getting married, she was a beauty queen at the University of Lagos. Now, she is the Co-Pastor, House on the Rock Church.

According to Pastor Paul, they met “24 years ago and we’re still dating 24 years later; we’ve been married for 22 of those years. She’s my still waters and my green pasture; I lay me down in the calm of her embrace. Her love is wind into my sails, her voice is quietening to my storm. The glint in her eyes reminds me that God loves me endlessly."

"Ifeanyi is my Ijebu Princess and my Asaba Queen; I have watched her bloom and blossom like daffodils in the spring; I’ve watched her grow wiser with every new year; I’ve watched her grow stronger with every storm — she is my virtuous woman and leading lady. I’ve watched her pursue her passion; strive for and attain excellence at everything she does. It is no wonder that our churches celebrate her; men and women are blessed by her, and many seek to emulate her as she lives as an example of a Godly woman.”

In his words, “My heart did not deceive me when it exclaimed, “This is the kind of a girl one should marry,” the first day I chatted with you. I sure understand how Adam felt the first time he sighted Eve. I followed my heart and the rest, as they say, is history.”